The mass of the black hole in GRS 1915+105: new constraints from IR spectroscopy

GRS 1915+105 has the largest mass function of any Galactic black hole system, although the error is relatively large. Here we present spectroscopic analysis of medium-resolution IR VLT archival data of GRS 1915+105 in the K-band. We find an updated ephemeris, and report on attempts to improve the mass function by a refinement of the radial velocity estimate. We show that the spectra are significantly affected by the presence of phase-dependent CO bandhead emission, possibly originating from the accretion disc: we discuss the impact this has on efforts to better constrain the black hole mass. We report on a possible way to measure the radial velocity utilising apparent H-band atomic absorption features and also discuss the general uncertainty of the system parameters of this well-studied objectComment: 7 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Main Journa

Communications to children about mental illness and their role in stigma development: an integrative review

Background Limited literature on the stigma of mental illness has examined the socio-cultural processes involved in the development of stigma around mental health in children, which emerges in middle childhood (7-11 years). Greater understanding might inform preventative interventions. Aims This review aims to integrate disparate theoretical and empirical research to provide an overview of social communications to children aged 7-11 years about mental illness across four key socio-cultural contexts (the media, school, peers, parents) of relevance to children’s development, and to consider their role in the development of stigmatized views. Method Systematic literature searches were conducted within electronic databases and abstracts were scanned to identify relevant studies. Fifteen papers were selected for the review. Results The review found few studies have directly examined communications about mental illness to children. Available evidence suggests messages across children’s socio-cultural contexts are characterized by silence and stigma, which may shape children’s developing views. Specific theoretical frameworks are lacking; possible mechanisms of transmission are discussed. Conclusions This review suggests overcoming stigma will require efforts targeting young children, explicitly tackling mental illness, and spanning multiple social spheres: further research is warranted

Parents’ communication to primary school-aged children about mental health and ill-health: a grounded theory study

Purpose – Stigma around mental health problems is known to emerge in middle childhood and persist into adulthood, yet almost nothing is known about the role of parents in this process. This paper aims to develop a model of parental communication to primary school-aged children around mental health and ill-health, to increase understanding about how stigma develops. Design/methodology/approach – Semi-structured interviews were performed with ten UK-based parents of children aged 7-11 years. Analysis followed an exploratory grounded theory approach, incorporating quality assurance checks. Findings – Parents’ communications are governed by the extent to which they view a particular issue as related to “Them” (mental ill-health) or to “Us” (mental health). In contrast to communication about “Us”, parental communication about mental “illness” is characterized by avoidance and contradiction, and driven by largely unconscious processes of taboo and stigma. Originality/value – This study was the first to explore parents’ communications to their 7-11 year old children about mental health and mental illness, and proposes a preliminary theoretical model that may offer insight into the development of stigma in childhood and the intergenerational transmission of stigmatized attitudes

The mass of the neutron star in the binary millisecond pulsar PSR J1012+5307

We have measured the radial velocity variation of the white dwarf secondary in the binary system containing the millisecond pulsar PSR J1012 + 5307. Combined with the orbital parameters of the radio pulsar, we infer a mass ratio q (=M-1/M-2) = 10.5 +/- 0.5 OUT optical spectroscopy has also allowed us to determine the mass of the white dwarf companion by fitting the spectrum to a grid of DA model atmospheres: we estimate M-2 = 0.16 +/- 0.02 M., and hence the mass of the neutron star is 1.64 +/- 0.22 M., where the error is dominated by that of M-2. The orbital inclination is 52 +/- 4 deg. For an initial neutron star mass of similar to 1.4 M., only a few tenths of a solar mass at most has been successfully accreted over the lifetime of the progenitor low-mass X-ray binary. If the initial mass of the secondary was similar to 1 M., our result suggests that the mass transfer may have been non-conservative